Pinetop-Lakeside

Pinetop–Lakeside is a popular summer resort and second-home area for Arizona desert residents. In 2002, a large forest fire, the Rodeo–Chediski Fire, threatened the town and forced an evacuation.

• Official Name — Pinetop–Lakeside, Arizona • Settlement Type — Town • Motto — "Celebrate the Seasons" • Mapsize — 250x250px • Subdivision Type — Country • Subdivision Type1 — State • Subdivision Name1 — Arizona • Subdivision Type2 — County • Subdivision Name2 — Navajo • Government Type — Council–Manager • Governing Body — Pinetop-Lakeside City Council • Leader Title — Mayor • Leader Name — Stephanie Irwin • Established Title — Incorporated • Established Date — 1984 • Unit Pref — Imperial • Area Total Km2 — 29.12 • Area Total Sq Mi — 11.24 • Area Land Km2 — 28.88 • Area Land Sq Mi — 11.15 • Area Water Km2 — 0.24 • Area Water Sq Mi — 0.09 • Elevation Ft — 6,805 • Population As Of — 2020 • Population Total — 4030 • Population Density Km2 — 139.54 • Population Density Sq Mi — 361.40 • Timezone — Mountain • Utc Offset — −7 • Timezone Dst — no DST/PDT • Utc Offset Dst — −7 • Postal Code Type — ZIP Codes • Postal Code — 85929, 85935 • Area Code — 928 • Blank Name — FIPS code • Blank1 Name — GNIS ID(s) • Blank1 Info — 2413136 • Website — Town of Pinetop-Lakeside

The town of Lakeside got its name from the area's lakes, and Pinetop got its name from a local saloon owner, Walt Rigney, who got the nickname "Pinetop" from the tall building of his saloon. Early Mormon settlers moved into the area around Pinetop-Lakeside in the mid-1880s, and were the primary non-native residents for much of the towns early history. The primary industry in that period were sawmills for the large, mature Ponderosa Pine forest that surround it. While the two towns of Pinetop and Lakeside merged in 1984, many residents and the US postal service consider them distinct communities.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 11.3 sqmi, of which 11.3 sqmi is land and 0.1 sqmi (0.71%) is water. • Illustration — Red Barn near Pinetop, 2013

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Pinetop-Lakeside has a Mediterranean dry-summer subtropical climate abbreviated with Csb. The average temperature year round is 49.2 F.

As of the 2020 census, Pinetop-Lakeside had a population of 4,030. The median age was 50.3 years. 19.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 28.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 104.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 101.2 males age 18 and over. 94.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 5.7% lived in rural areas. There were 1,698 households in Pinetop-Lakeside, of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.5% were married-couple households, 21.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 3,409 housing units, of which 50.2% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 13.7%. Racial composition as of the 2020 census • Race — Number — Percent • White — 3,042 — 75.5% • Black or African American — 20 — 0.5% • American Indian and Alaska Native — 374 — 9.3% • Asian — 51 — 1.3% • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander — 9 — 0.2% • Some other race — 152 — 3.8% • Two or more races — 382 — 9.5% • Hispanic or Latino (of any race) — 555 — 13.8%

At the 2000 census there were 3,582 people, 1,436 households, and 1,020 families in the town. The population density was 318.1 PD/sqmi. There were 2,750 housing units at an average density of 244.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 89.2% White, 1.0% Black or African American, 2.3% Native American, 0.3% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 4.6% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. 11.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 1,436 households 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.7% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 23.9% of households were one person and 8.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.92. The age distribution was 25.5% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% 65 or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.4 males. The median household income was $36,706 and the median family income was $42,195. Males had a median income of $36,622 versus $23,594 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,541. About 6.6% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.6% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

The town is served by the Blue Ridge Unified School District. Schools that serve the town include Blue Ridge Elementary School, Blue Ridge Middle School, Blue Ridge Junior High School, and Blue Ridge High School.

• Zella Day (born 1995) – Singer, songwriter